April 23, 1997. Zinedine Zidane is not yet world champion.
Not yet Ballon d'Or.
But that day, the Frenchman splashed his talent into the return leg of the Champions League semi-finals.
After the first leg, during which the Old Lady emerged victorious (1-2), Marcelo Lippi's men receive Ajax Amsterdam from Louis van Gaal;
a team they know well since it was against the Dutch that they won the cup with big ears the previous year.
The French distinguished himself from the first half.
On a left side corner, he drops the ball on Attilio Lombardo's head for the opener.
At the break, the Turinese lead with two goals ahead and head to the final of the competition.
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The Champions League calendar
Zizou's superb goal against Ajax in 1997
A superb fake strike
But in the 75th minute, Mario Melchiot reduced the mark from a corner and gave hope to his team.
A hope that Zizou destroys very quickly.
Four minutes later, on a counter-attack, the French attacking midfielder played against Danny Blind, before serving Nicola Amoruso, alone in front of empty cages, who only had to push the ball into the net.
In the process, the ex-player of the Girondins de Bordeaux takes advantage of the Dutch defensive largesse to seal the victory in Turin.
Well served in space by Didier Deschamps, the Turin playmaker controls the ball in the area, performs a fake strike that surprises Van der Saar and the Ajax defense then scores with a small outside right foot.
A splendid goal.
In the Champions League final, Zizou and his family will lose 3-1 to Borussia Dortmund.
This will only be postponed for the Frenchman who will win the competition in 2002, with Real Madrid, by registering a volley that made history.
Read also
Zidane's fabulous volley in the 2002 Champions League final
